Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-01-21

,nos 70 MA an infinite surprise. That would
have made me practical enemy OF justice.
M man shah commit to me his laWless
secrets With the pledge on my part that l
will keen them. I could not allow this
while holding to the doctrines OF Baptists.
THE PRISONERS BEARING.
Renorter.-You were often with Cluve-
rms How did he Impress you! Was he
secretjve and inaccessible /?
Or. Hatcher.-At first | had prepon-
derating suspicion of his guilt and watch
ed him as closely as l could. Sometimes
I fanced there was crafty, far-off,
vacant look about him; but gradually it
disappeared. His talk with me became
free and cordial, and in my later inter-
views he was open, simple, and natural.
Reporter. say he was sss'iid and
uLfeeling. Is that so I?
DIR. Hatcher.-It was not so. He was
not noisy OF effervescen5, but he was nota-
bIy responsive to outward influences. He
was not emotional, but he was not with
ont feeling. He did not often weep,
though again and again l saw him in tears.
There was not touch Of frlvollty in his
manner, but on no human face have ever
seen a more real or contagious laugh than
on his.
heporter. Did he strike you sometimes,
DR., Hatcher-H did not. His move
ments were bright, quick, and easy. |
talked with him at one time and another
about almost every phase of his trial and
his prison life. I asked him many ques.
, tions. and some of them very searching,
but [ never saw him halt. shuttle, or hest.
tate. and in all my talks with him never
knew him to contradict himself. His con-
sistency was wonderful, and if he was an
actor his art was transcendent.
FORMING JUDGMENT.
Reporter. Much has been said about
his 1mpurity and hypocrisy.
DIR. Hatcher.-I am not his defender and
do not claim to be an extraordinary read-
er of character. But saw him IN b
sahdesG and franAest moments; saw him
many, many times, but In the grace OF his
manner, the purity of his speech, and the
unstudled courtesles OF his bearing ne was
we'll nigh faultess. If SINCE the day OF
his arrest he was ever guilty of an IN
chaste word. an unmanly act, or Turing,
| indecent look, [ have nod heard of IL. Ia
his prison his department not only CON-
manded respect, but to a large extent dis
armed prejudice.
Reporter-Was the effect of your asso-
citation with him to increase or diminish
your suspicion of his guilt
DR.. Hatcher.-I am not very lmpressl-
sible, and men have to be quite magnetic
to take possession of me. L Travelled slow
| y in forming my judgment Of Cluverius,
but | must say that while [ never eX-
pressed any opinion one way Or the other.
found myself gradually drifting to the
conviction that Cuverius was not MUIR
derer.
Reporter.-YOur study and manage
! ment OF the case must have given you
much anxiety?
DIR. Hatcher-As to the question Of my
personal feelings. that possesses no inter-
| est for the public, and on that will not
speak. l may say, however, that from
| many quarters came assurance of sympa-
! thy for me in having to 60 in murderer IS
| cell, and in having before me the prospect
of accompanying the doomed man to the
gallows. These were merely physical and
sensational aspects of the case, aad of
course at the first [ recoiled from them.
| But it took me but a very little while to get
| beyond those things; very soon other and
far graver questions absorbed me. What
I to do and how to do it so as to be of real
Christian service to the helpless object of
my charge were harassing and benumblng
| problems. At one moment | faced the
possibility of his guilt and feared that he
would brave death without confession;
at another | wondered whether he might
not defer his confession until brought to
the scaffold and then make it when it
would be wrong in its motive and worth
less in it's effect, at another, and indeed
very often. [ suffered the agonies of
dreadful apprehension lest. after all, being
an innocont man, he mighG die the vic
tim of the law g mistake. Ii he had to die
knew it was better for him to be inno
cent than guilty, but that was quite
different matter from my having TO deal
with man as q murderer whose hands
might be free from blood. If thousands
of people who never saw him. yet night
after night tossed in sleepless excitement
and anxiety on his account, how think
you it must have been with me, who in no
small sense carried upon my heart ths
burden OF mis- fate?
WAS HE PREPARED TO DIE.
Reporter. you think. Doctor, that
the prisoner was prepared for Heaven
DR.. Hatcher.-That is a question toe
solemn and profound for me to touch.
believe in the Immortality of the soul aud
the reality and glory of the heavenly state.
| believe in the eternal happiness of the
righteous and in the sufficiency Of the
blood of Christ to save all who come to
God by Him, but when l am called on to
say whether this man or that had been
saved feel that [ am not appointed to
settle such question. 1t would not be
we'll to speak with fippant confidence
about the salvation of a man who dies I'M
der the penalty Of human law. The cause
of religion has been put TO shame by the
sentimental way in which many victims
of the gallows have been triuraphantly
shouted to Heaven by sympathetic minis
tiers. On this question l choose to be silent
and leave the result to that God into
whose presence the prisoners spirit has
gone.
Reporter.-Did he often talk of his reli-
gious creed and hope?
DIR. Hatcher.-Yes, he talked; not very
freely, and never with one symptom OF
cant or whimpering sentiment. His ex-
pressed belief i'll divine things was clear,
reverential and outspoken.
eporter.-What did he believe?
DR.. Hatcher.-He said more than once
4hat he fully accepted the Scriptures as
the Word of God, and hung his hopes up
On its promises. He was reared under
CHRISTIAN doctrines. He said that his
hopes rested upon the merits of another.
You know that he professed conversion
when he was fifteen years of age and uni
ted with the church. He never affected
much devoutness in my presence, and
cannot say that he was specially pious. [
nave nearu bnaG MS christian walk was
not very consistent. though his church,
up to the time of his arrest, had the full
lest confidence IN his RELIGIOUS character.
RELIGIOUS CoNDITIoN.
Reporter.-Did he seem t. have any
trouble about his religious condition?
DR.. Hatcher-Sometimes he did. He
had one staggering doubt. He said that
the promises of God to hear prayer were
very many and full. and that he thought
he had pleaded Lnescc ..ce--omises faithfully
for deliverance from his cruel fate. He
had hanging on the wall of his cell num-
Der of placards On which were printed
varius Scripture promises. One day while
we were talking on this subject he arose